"Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens, when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? Job 38: 37b & 38 NIV

Some of the best things in life are in the little things that we are blessed to see or be a part of. From those "remains of the day" moments that only exist at dusk to that one continuous moment of sunshine that ushers you out of an unforgettable vacation, little things do mean a lot. For most of us, they are the one thing we seldom see in our view of eternity, as that scale is so grand and large that surely there won't be much in the way of little things "up there in heaven". A wonderful American poet by the name of Julia Carney pondered that very thing and saw it is the little things that define the route of an eternity past right on through to eternity future. She would later survive her husband and four children out there on the prairie where little things mean so much in life. I know you will like her thoughts on the subject:

Little Things - By Mrs... J. A. Carney (1845)

Little drops of water

Little grains of sand

Make the mighty ocean

And the beauteous land

Little deeds of kindness,

Little words of love,

Make our earth an Eden,

Like the heaven above

And the little moments,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages.

Of eternity.

Just as refreshing and reflective today as it was 175 years ago in 1875. Surprisingly, Julia had written the poem in only ten minutes to be used as a filler for an article assignment, and the poem's eloquent emphasis upon how little things do matter led Great Britain to use this great poem in that same year to inaugurate the opening of the British Red Cross. In her later years, Julia's next door neighbor in Galesburg Illinois was a young man named Carl Sandburg who said of her: "She has a tiny quaint niche in the history of American literature under which one line could be written: 'She loved children and wrote poems she hoped children would love."  Like many of you, she enjoyed working for Christ.

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.